this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2024
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What able-ist connotation?
Assuming you're asking from a place of wanting to know. "Dwarf" is a term that has been used in the past to describe little people or those suffering from dwarfism. It can be a negative word for some in that community and is tied to ableism in that way
It's also the preferred descriptor for some. I've had friends with dwarfism that thought "little people" was condescending as hell and hated it.
None of this is ever black and white. Especially when it's just interjecting into comments on the Internet talking about the fantasy race that's either Jews with battle axes or persons from Svartálfheim.
The way Tolkien-style dwarves embody stereotypes about Jews makes me really uncomfortable. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it.
It's a mostly standard view of Tolkien scholarship. They're much more a medieval view of jewishness then something straight racist like say, JK Rowling's goblins. As makes sense for an Old English scholar like Tolkein.
Ancient people, separated into familial tribes, outcast from their ancestral home, not really welcomed anywhere but tolerated some places, warrior poet tradition, noble 'in their way', beards, gold, noses.
Sprinkle on some Norse/Germanic for flavor and there you go. Though then you can get into the side conversation of Yiddish being a Germanic dialect/language.
Yeah, and it is also the name of a race of people from fantasy stories that were completely made up. Yes, fantasy races are based on human phenotypes. That doesn't make the names of those races a slur.
Found the drow.
Elves are pretty much always lowkey supremacists and their tree love/fetish is obviously inferior to the industrious dwarves.
From what I've heard, I think that is the officially accepted term from the community that most prefer, or am I behind the times?
honestly couldn't they easily sidestep that whole can of worms by requesting a 'dwarves' tag instead
This kind of shit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2UgwINQVPM
I'm sorry, how is the exploitation of little people as a tourist attraction equivalent to fantasy dwarves? The first one is a reduction of human beings and the condition they live with to a sideshow curiosity; the second is a story that was made up for entertainment. I don't see how the latter is related to the former.
The tourist attraction is based on the stories. And the stories are based on little people being ascribe magical properties, like "rubbing their head brings luck" or someshit like that. The fantastical stories live in a real context. And a lot of the stories about dwarfs come from an ableist view on short people.
Lots of fantasy creatures are based on a phenotype of human. Our ancestors didn't know anything about anything so they made up a bunch of shit to explain it. If you plan to argue that the entire fantasy genre needs to go - no more elves, gnomes, halflings, hobbits, vampires, orcs, goblins, bugbears, etc - you're gonna have a bad time.
yes, by valve not putting in "dwarf" as a tag to make it easier for its customers to search for games the entire fucking genre dies. Put ASoIaF fans on suicide watch lmfao
Hey, you're the one saying the word "dwarf" is offensive. I'm just extending your logic, to illustrate for you why I think it's a bad take. I'm glad you got it!
(Narrator: They didn't get it.)
I think the people with the condition are the ones who said the term can be offensive, which is why valve was not gung ho on using it.
I dont think its really up to you on if their opinion on their own insults is a bad take or not. Do you step in like this about other insults and slurs for other people?
I think if you bother to look for some of the conversations on the topic you'll find the community is quite divided on the term, in point of fact. There's nothing to stop any given individual being offended by literally anything; personally, I choose to respect someone if they ask me to refer to them in a particular way (or not), but that doesn't mean that person speaks for their entire community and it doesn't give them alone the sole right to blanket ban a word or concept.
So, to clarify.
You have a word that is hotly contested as pretty offensive to a group of people who deal with a lot of regular mockery and ridicule. A word so regularly debated on if it counts as reclaimed or insulting that it sounds like a conversation Ive had many many many times about such slurs as dyke, trannie, and removed with other queer folk.
And youre shocked that a respectful company isnt chomping at the bit to use it to sell video games?
Just to make sure. Thats the stance you want to take right now?
No you are trying to extrapolate from what I said into some generic ideal that I supposedly have. That's not extending someones logic, thats strawmanning.
Let's recap:
If your own video and comment and the entire context of this thread aren't relevant to your point, that isn't strawmanning on my part; that's you not knowing how to make a reasoned argument.
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